Nuclear proteins acting on mitochondria

An important mechanism in apoptotic regulation is changes in the subcellular distribution of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. Among the proteins that change in their localization and may promote apoptosis are nuclear proteins. Several of these nuclear proteins such as p53, Nur77, histone H1.2, and nucleophosmin were reported to accumulate in the cytosol and/or mitochondria and to promote the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in response to apoptotic stressors. In this review, we will discuss the functions of these and other nuclear proteins in promoting the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, the mechanisms that regulate their accumulation in the cytosol and/or mitochondria and the potential role of Bax and Bak in this process. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Mitochondria: the deadly organelle.     

The role of mitochondrial factors in apoptosis: a Russian roulette with more than one bullet

Mitochondria are 'life-essential' organelles for the production of metabolic energy in the form of ATP. Paradoxically mitochondria also play a key role in controlling the pathways that lead to cell death. This latter role of mitochondria is more than just a 'loss of function' resulting in an energy deficit but is an active process involving different mitochondrial proteins. Cytochrome c was the first characterised mitochondrial factor shown to be released from the mitochondrial intermembrane space and to be actively implicated in apoptotic cell death. Since then, other mitochondrial proteins, such as AIF, Smac/DIABLO, endonuclease G and Omi/HtrA2, were found to undergo release during apoptosis and have been implicated in various aspects of the cell death process. Members of the Bcl-2 protein family control the integrity and response of mitochondria to apoptotic signals. The molecular mechanism by which mitochondrial intermembrane space proteins are released and the regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis by Bcl-2 proteins is still elusive. This review summarises and evaluates the current knowledge concerning the complex role of released mitochondrial proteins in the apoptotic process.     

The role of mitochondria in apoptosis

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a cellular self-destruction mechanism that is essential for a variety of biological events, such as developmental sculpturing, tissue homeostasis, and the removal of unwanted cells. Mitochondria play a crucial role in regulating cell death. Ca2+ has long been recognized as a participant in apoptotic pathways. Mitochondria are known to modulate and synchronize Ca2+ signaling. Massive accumulation of Ca2+ in the mitochondria leads to apoptosis. The Ca2+ dynamics of ER and mitochondria appear to be modulated by the Bcl-2 family proteins, key factors involved in apoptosis. The number and morphology of mitochondria are precisely controlled through mitochondrial fusion and fission process by numerous mitochondria-shaping proteins. Mitochondrial fission accompanies apoptotic cell death and appears to be important for progression of the apoptotic pathway. Here, we highlight and discuss the role of mitochondrial calcium handling and mitochondrial fusion and fission machinery in apoptosis.     

Mitochondrial regulation of apoptotic cell death

Mitochondria play a decisive role in the regulation of both apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane and subsequent release of intermembrane space proteins are important features of both models of cell death. The mechanisms by which these proteins are released depend presumably on cell type and the nature of stimuli. Of the mechanisms involved, mitochondrial permeability transition appears to be associated mainly with necrosis, whereas the release of caspase activating proteins during early apoptosis is regulated primarily by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. However, there is increasing evidence for interaction and co-operation between these two mechanisms. The multiple mechanisms of mitochondrial permeabilization may explain diversities in the response of mitochondria to numerous apoptotic stimuli in different types of cells.     

Apoptosis: unmasking the executioner

The execution phase of apoptosis is comprised of those processes that commit cells to apoptotic death. Many independent studies have implicated mitochondria as playing a critical role in apoptotic execution. The activation of caspase-3 and subsequent late stage degradative events are probably triggered by the release of proteins (such as cytochrome c) from the intermembrane space of mitochondria. The mechanisms responsible for this release are controversial but may include mitochondrial permeability transition and bcl-2-regulated swelling of the mitochondrial matrix. Two theoretical models of execution are discussed. It is important to note that some critical features of these models are largely based on data acquired from cell-free studies. Further studies with intact cells are urgently needed to test the physiological validity of these models.     

Mitochondrial Ca(2+) and apoptosis

Mitochondria are key decoding stations of the apoptotic process. In support of this view, a large body of experimental evidence has unambiguously revealed that, in addition to the well-established function of producing most of the cellular ATP, mitochondria play a fundamental role in triggering apoptotic cell death. Various apoptotic stimuli cause the release of specific mitochondrial pro-apoptotic factors into the cytosol. The molecular mechanism of this release is still controversial, but there is no doubt that mitochondrial calcium (Ca(2+)) overload is one of the pro-apoptotic ways to induce the swelling of mitochondria, with perturbation or rupture of the outer membrane, and in turn the release of mitochondrial apoptotic factors into the cytosol. Here, we review as different proteins that participate in mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis and in turn modulate the effectiveness of Ca(2+)-dependent apoptotic stimuli. Strikingly, the final outcome at the cellular level is similar, albeit through completely different molecular mechanisms: a reduced mitochondrial Ca(2+) overload upon pro-apoptotic stimuli that dramatically blunts the apoptotic response.     

Fzo1, a protein involved in mitochondrial fusion, inhibits apoptosis

Mitochondrial morphology and physiology are regulated by the processes of fusion and fission. Some forms of apoptosis are reported to be associated with mitochondrial fragmentation. We showed that overexpression of Fzo1A/B (rat) proteins involved in mitochondrial fusion, or silencing of Dnm1 (rat)/Drp1 (human) (a mitochondrial fission protein), increased elongated mitochondria in healthy cells. After apoptotic stimulation, these interventions inhibited mitochondrial fragmentation and cell death, suggesting that a process involved in mitochondrial fusion/fission might play a role in the regulation of apoptosis. Consistently, silencing of Fzo1A/B or Mfn1/2 (a human homolog of Fzo1A/B) led to an increase of shorter mitochondria and enhanced apoptotic death. Overexpression of Fzo1 inhibited cytochrome c release and activation of Bax/Bak, as assessed from conformational changes and oligomerization. Silencing of Mfn or Drp1 caused an increase or decrease of mitochondrial sensitivity to apoptotic stimulation, respectively. These results indicate that some of the proteins involved in mitochondrial fusion/fission modulate apoptotic cell death at the mitochondrial level.     

Apoptosis induces efflux of the mitochondrial matrix enzyme deoxyguanosine kinase

Deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK) initiates the salvage of purine deoxynucleosides in mitochondria and is a key enzyme in mitochondrial DNA precursor synthesis. The active form of the enzyme is a 60-kDa protein normally located in the mitochondrial matrix. Here we describe the subcellular distribution of dGK during apoptosis in human epithelial kidney 293 cells and human lymphoblast Molt-4 cells. Immunological methods were used to monitor dGK as well as other mitochondrial proteins. Surprisingly, dGK was found to relocate to the cytosolic compartment at a similar rate as cytochrome c, a mitochondrial intermembraneous enzyme known to enter the cytosol early in apoptosis. The redistribution of dGK from the mitochondria to the cytosol may be of importance for the activation of apoptotic purine nucleoside cofactors such as dATP and demonstrates that mitochondrial matrix proteins may selectively leak out during apoptosis.     

The increase in mitochondrial association with actin precedes Bax translocation in apoptosis

Accumulating evidence indicates the potential role of actin cytoskeleton in facilitating the mitochondrial recruitment of various pro-apoptotic proteins from the cytosol to initiate apoptosis. In the present paper, we report the observation of the increase in mitochondrial association of actin in early apoptosis. Using cell fractionation and Western blot analysis, we found that mitochondrial accumulation of beta-actin occurred before the mitochondrial insertion of Bax and release of cytochrome c in apoptosis. The mitochondrial accumulation of beta-actin was observed with various apoptotic stimuli in various cell lines, suggesting that this is a general apoptotic phenomenon in mammalian systems. Using fluorescence microscopy, we have shown that an apoptotic induction triggered the reorganization of the F-actin (filamentous actin) network with an increase in the association with mitochondria, which was observed before mitochondrial fission and nuclear condensation. Perhaps actin could contribute to the initiation of apoptosis by enabling cytosolic pro-apoptotic proteins to be carried to mitochondria by the cytoskeleton-driven trafficking system.     

Maternally-inherited Leigh syndrome-related mutations bolster mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis

The key role of mitochondria in the apoptotic process is well understood, but not many data are available regarding the specific role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in determining cell fate. We investigated whether two mitochondrial DNA mutations (L217R and L156R) associated with maternally-inherited Leigh syndrome may play a specific role in triggering the apoptotic cascade. Considering that different nuclear genetic factors may influence the expression of mtDNA mutations, we used a 143BTK(-) osteosarcoma cell line deprived from its own mtDNA in order to insert mutated mtDNAs. Analysis of mitochondrial features in these cybrids indicated that both mitochondrial DNA mutations produced evidence of biochemical, functional and ultrastructural modifications of mitochondria, and that these modifications were associated with an increased apoptotic proneness. Cybrids were highly susceptible to two different apoptotic stimuli, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and Staurosporin. The mechanism involved was the mitochondrial 'intrinsic' pathway, i.e. the caspase 9-driven cascade. More importantly, our results also indicated that the polarization state of the mitochondrial membrane, i.e. a constitutive hyperpolarization detected in cybrid clones, played a specific role. Interestingly, the different effects of the two mutations in terms of susceptibility to apoptosis probably reflect the deeper bioenergetic defect associated with the L217R mutation. This work provides the first evidence that hyperpolarization of mitochondria may be a 'risk factor' for cells with a deep ATPase dysfunction, such as cells from patients with maternally-inherited Leigh syndrome.     

Apoptosis: a mitochondrial perspective on cell death

Mitochondria play an important role in both the life and death of cells. The past 7-8 years have seen an intense surge in research devoted toward understanding the critical role of mitochondria in the regulation of cell death. Mitochondria have, next to their function in respiration, an important role in apoptotic signaling pathway. Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death important in the development and tissue homeostasis of multicellular organisms. Apoptosis can be initiated by a wide array of stimuli, including multiple signaling pathways that, for the most part, converge at the mitochondria. Although classically considered the powerhouses of the cell, it is now understood that mitochondria are also "gatekeepers" that ultimately determine the fate of the cell. Malfunctioning at any level of the cell is eventually translated in the release of apoptogenic factors from the mitochondrial intermembrane space resulting in the organized demise of the cell. These mitochondrial factors may contribute to both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent processes in apoptotic cell death. In addition, several Bcl-2 family members and other upstream proteins also contribute to and regulate the apoptosis. In this review, we attempt to summarize our current view of the mechanism that leads to the influx and efflux of many proteins from/to mitochondria during apoptosis.     

Mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2): the recruitment and evolution of a mitochondrial carrier protein to a critical player in apoptosis

Recent studies report mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2) as a novel and uncharacterized protein that acts as a receptor-like protein for the truncated BH3-interacting domain death agonist (tBID) protein in the outer membrane of mitochondria. These studies, using mouse embryonic stem cells and fibroblasts as well as mice with a conditional knockout of MTCH2 in the liver, showed that deletion of MTCH2 hindered recruitment of tBID to the mitochondria with subsequent reductions in the activation of pro-apoptotic proteins, mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and apoptosis. Sequence analysis shows that MTCH2 is present in all examined multicellular Metazoa as well as unicellular Choanoflagellata, and is a highly derived member of the mitochondrial carrier family. Mitochondrial carriers are monomeric transport proteins that are usually found in the inner mitochondrial membrane, where they exchange small substrates between the mitochondrial matrix and intermembrane space. There are extensive differences between the protein sequences of MTCH2 and other mitochondrial carriers that may explain the ability of MTCH2 to associate with tBID and thus its role in apoptosis. We review the experimental evidence for the role of MTCH2 in apoptosis and suggest that the original transport function of the ancestral MTCH2 mitochondrial carrier has been co-opted by the apoptotic machinery to provide a receptor and signaling mechanism.     

Changes in astrocyte mitochondrial function with stress: effects of Bcl-2 family proteins

Mitochondria are central to both apoptotic and necrotic cell death, as well as to normal physiological function. Astrocytes are crucial for neuronal metabolic, antioxidant, and trophic support, as well as normal synaptic function. In the setting of stress, such as during cerebral ischemia, astrocyte dysfunction may compromise the ability of neurons to survive. Despite their central importance, the response of astrocyte mitochondria to stress has not been extensively studied. Limited data already suggest clear differences in the response of neuronal and astrocytic mitochondria to oxygen-glucose deprivation (GD). Prominent mitochondrial alterations during stress that can contribute to cell death include changes in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and release of death regulatory and signaling molecules from the intermembrane space. In response to stress mitochondrial respiratory function and membrane potential also change, and these changes appear to depend on cell type. Bcl-2 family proteins are the best studied regulators of cell death, especially apoptosis, and mitochondria are a major site of action for these proteins. Although much data supports the role of Bcl-2 family proteins in the regulation of some of these mitochondrial alterations, this remains an area of active investigation. This mini-review summarizes current knowledge regarding mitochondrial control of cell survival and death in astrocytes and the effects of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins on astrocyte mitochondrial function.     

Regulation of mitochondrial membrane permeabilization by BCL-2 family proteins and caspases

Mitochondria play an important role in the integration and transmission of cell death signals, activating caspases and other cell death execution events by releasing apoptogenic proteins from the intermembrane space. The BCL-2 family of proteins localize (or can be targeted) to mitochondria and regulate the permeability of the mitochondrial outer membrane to these apoptotic factors. Recent evidence suggests that multiple mechanisms may regulate the release of mitochondrial factors, some of which depend on the action of caspases.     

Mitochondrial dynamics in the regulation of neuronal cell death

Mitochondria undergo continuous fission and fusion events in physiological situations. Fragmentation of mitochondria during cell death has been shown to play a key role in cell death progression, including release of the mitochondrial apoptotic proteins. Ultrastructural changes in mitochondria, such as cristae remodeling, is also involved in cell death initiation. Here, we emphasize the important role of mitochondrial fission/fusion machinery in neuronal cell death. Unlike many other cell types such as immortalized cell lines, neurons are distinct morphologically and functionally. We will discuss how this uniqueness presents special challenges in the cellular response to neurotoxic stresses, and how this affects the mitochondrial dynamics in the regulation of cell death in neurons.     

Mitochondrial-targeted active Akt protects SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells from staurosporine-induced apoptotic cell death

Akt is a serine/threonine protein kinase that plays a vital role in promoting cellular survival. Predominantly cytosolic, upon stimulation with growth-factors or stress, active Akt translocates into mitochondria, but the functions of Akt in mitochondria are not yet fully understood. Mitochondria play a central role in apoptotic pathways and given Akt's functions in the cytoplasm, Akt in mitochondria may help preserve mitochondrial integrity during cellular stress. To test if the translocation of Akt into mitochondria is neuroprotective, adenoviral vectors expressing a constitutively active Akt, Ad-HA-Akt (DD), and a constitutively active Akt with a mitochondrial targeting signal, Ad-Mito-HA-Akt (DD), were generated. Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells expressing the adenoviral constructs were treated with staurosporine to initiate intrinsic apoptotic cell death and several aspects of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway were evaluated. Expression of active Akt targeted to mitochondria was found to be sufficient to significantly reduce staurosporine-induced activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, and Bax oligomerization at mitochondria. These findings demonstrate that intramitochondrial active Akt results in efficient protection against apoptotic signaling.     

Evolution of mitochondrial cell death pathway: Proapoptotic role of HtrA2/Omi in Drosophila

Despite the essential role of mitochondria in a variety of mammalian cell death processes, the involvement of mitochondrial pathway in Drosophila cell death has remained unclear. To address this, we cloned and characterized DmHtrA2, a Drosophila homolog of a mitochondrial serine protease HtrA2/Omi. We show that DmHtrA2 normally resides in mitochondria and is up-regulated by UV-irradiation. Upon receipt of apoptotic stimuli, DmHtrA2 is translocated to extramitochondrial compartment; however, unlike its mammalian counterpart, the extramitochondrial DmHtrA2 does not diffuse throughout the cytosol but stays near the mitochondria. RNAi-mediated knock-down of DmHtrA2 in larvae or adult flies results in a resistance to stress stimuli. DmHtrA2 specifically cleaves Drosophila inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein 1 (DIAP1), a cellular caspase inhibitor, and induces cell death both in vitro and in vivo as potent as other fly cell death proteins. Our observations suggest that DmHtrA2 promotes cell death through a cleavage of DIAP1 in the vicinity of mitochondria, which may represent a prototype of mitochondrial cell death pathway in evolution.     

Presence of a pre-apoptotic complex of pro-caspase-3, Hsp60 and Hsp10 in the mitochondrial fraction of jurkat cells

Activation of pro-caspase-3 is a central event in the execution phase of apoptosis and appears to serve as the convergence point of different apoptotic signaling pathways. Recently, mitochondria were found to play a central role in apoptosis through release of cytochrome c and activation of caspases. Moreover, a sub-population of pro-caspase-3 has been found to be localized to this organelle. In the present study, we demonstrate that pro-caspase-3 is present in the mitochondrial fraction of Jurkat T cells in a complex with the chaperone proteins Hsp60 and Hsp10. Induction of apoptosis with staurosporine led to the activation of mitochondrial pro-caspase-3 and its dissociation from the Hsps which were released from mitochondria. The release of Hsps occurred simultaneously with the release of other mitochondrial intermembrane space proteins including cytochrome c and adenylate kinase, prior to a loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. In in vitro systems, recombinant Hsp60 and Hsp10 accelerated the activation of pro-caspase-3 by cytochrome c and dATP in an ATP-dependent manner, consistent with their function as chaperones. This finding suggests that the release of mitochondrial Hsps may also accelerate caspase activation in the cytoplasm of intact cells.